


The Honeysuckle Hotel Hiccup

by itchstork



Category: The Queen's Gambit (TV)
Genre: F/M, Okay so this is only rated T for the mentions of sex, otherwise it's totally G rated
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:40:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28247787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itchstork/pseuds/itchstork
Summary: Beth Harmon visits New York City by herself for a holiday tournament. The grand prize is $700 and a sponsorship deal from Sparrow Unlimited, a luxury goods importer. When her selected hotel informs her that her reservation never went through, how will she handle the situation? Benny might be able to help. Oneshot.
Relationships: Beth Harmon/Benny Watts
Comments: 4
Kudos: 103





	The Honeysuckle Hotel Hiccup

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everybody! Welcome to my second fic. This is just a oneshot, but I hope you can enjoy it. This fic doesn’t really fall into the canon of TQG, it’s definitely a made-up and separate event, just so you know. Probably somewhere between the 1966 Las Vegas Open and the 1968 Paris Tournament. I’m doing this fic with a time crunch to see if I can complete it by Christmas Eve...let’s see if I can actually do it. Happy Holidays to all. 
> 
> Final edit: I did it, it's December 22nd. Boo-yah.

“That’ll be $3.30,” said the taxi driver under his thick, mustachioed lip. Beth Harmon opened her coin purse and gathered the appropriate change, plus tip, and placed it firmly in the outstretched hand. “Thank you,” she said plainly. “Merry Christmas,” was the reply when the driver pocketed the change and shut the door behind her. Before long, Beth was standing by herself in front of a well-lit hotel, one that was very in line with her own tastes. The Honeysuckle Hotel was decorated for Christmas with bright, twinkling lights wrapped around the exterior columns as well as in the barren trees. She found herself thinking of her adoptive mother and wishing that she could have been able to see this with her.   
Beth adjusted her grip on the small suitcase she carried, brushed a few snowflakes out of her bangs, and strode forward towards the door that a bellhop already propped open. Inside she found a grand pine tree decorated to the nines with reflective ornaments of all colors and silver tinsel that wrapped around all the way to the top where an angel was placed very neatly. Beth appreciated Christmastime, it was pleasant to see the gentle decorations that everyone put up, especially the places with money to spare. It seems they spared no expense, she thought to herself walking past the lounge area that was also decked with boughs of holly. Fa la la, indeed.   
A bright, smiling woman stood at the front desk while another was in the middle of assisting an older couple. Beth stepped to the left and approached the free one. “Hello, welcome to the Honeysuckle! How may I help you this evening?” she said in a peppy tone. “Hello, I have a reservation under Harmon?” The concierge nodded her head with a smile and drew open the reservation book. After flipping through the pages a few moments, her smile disappeared and her brows furrowed slightly. “My apologies, miss...I don’t have a Harmon listed here.” Beth stood in silence for a moment, flabbergasted. She made the reservation a month ago. “That can’t be right, I had a single bed booked for tonight through the 27th.”   
The concierge flashed a sympathetic purse of the lips and raised her hands in defeat. “I’m very sorry, but there’s nothing here.” Beth’s grip on her suitcase tightened and she felt her blood pressure building up. She needed a drink. “Okay, well, is there anything available for that time period?” The concierge took another look at the reservations and shook her head. “Unfortunately not, we’re all booked up. It’s the holidays, after all…” She had real empathy in her voice, that was something Beth could recognize. However, empathy wasn’t going to keep her from being shelterless for the next five days. Beth didn’t bother responding, just rubbed one of her temples and nodded. Before she walked away, the concierge called out to her. “Miss, if there’s anyone you can call, you might be able to reach them with the payphone in the bar! I would let you use mine, but it’s company policy not to.”   
Beth smiled wearily at the woman and raised her hand as a goodbye. There was only one person to call and she really didn’t want to. There wasn’t much of an option for anything else. If she went home, she would miss out on the prize money and the sponsorship, plus she would be out another hefty sum to catch a flight or a bus back to Kentucky. It seemed that Benny was her only option left. Beth walked into the bar which was heavy with cigarette smoke. Smelling its odor made her crave a cigarette herself and maybe a double of scotch to wash it down with. “Excuse me, where’s the payphone?” she asked a bartender who was in the middle of making, presumably, a martini. “Over there by the far wall,” he answered, “need change?”   
“No, thank you.” She trudged towards the payphone and set her suitcase down against the wall. Beth pulled two dimes out of her coin purse and inserted them into the payphone before dialing Benny’s number. They had exchanged their phone numbers after the Las Vegas Open. She tapped her painted fingernail on the side of the phone box while the phone rang. Pick up, pick up, pick up, she thought. Right before she was going to lose hope, the phone crackled and Benny cleared his throat on the other end. “Yeah, who is it?” It sounded like he was sleeping and just woke up.   
“It’s Beth.”   
“Beth who?”  
“Harmon.”   
“I know, I’m kidding. What’s going on?”  
“Actually, I’m in town.”  
“Really? I guess you’re playing in the holiday tournament then.”   
“I am, but I need some help. My hotel lost my reservation and I don’t think I’ll find another hotel with an open room, not at this time of year, anyway. Do you think I could stay with you?”   
Benny laughed on the other end of the line.   
“Sure you can. Least I can do for a fellow competitor. Are you calling from the hotel’s phone? I can pick you up there.”  
“Yeah, I’m at the Honeysuckle. I’ll wait out front for you.”  
“Don’t bother, wait inside where it’s warm. I’ll meet you in the lobby.” 

With that, Benny hung up and left Beth listening to the trill of the payphone. She reset the earpiece on the handle and picked up her suitcase, turning to face the bar. Despite the supposed lack of rooms, the bar was relatively empty. Most patrons must have been out at parties or with their families. If she was going to have to wait for Benny, which would probably take at least half an hour, one or two drinks wouldn’t hurt.   
She bellied up to the bar counter and set her suitcase down once more in front of an empty stool. Once seated, a bartender was already setting down a small napkin for her. “What can I get you, miss?” He was a different bartender than the last one she had spoken to. This one was quite handsome, probably in his late twenties. She laced her fingers together and looked behind him at the glittering rows of liquor bottles. “I’d like a mint julep, please,” she stated clearly. The bartender nodded and got straight to work. Before long, an icy glass of sweet beige liquid was placed on the napkin in front of her. Beth thanked him and closed her eyes as she took a long, wonderful sip.   
It tasted like home. Mint juleps were, of course, the official drink of the Kentucky Derby so there was no shortage of the locals making them for themselves. She set her glass down and rested her chin in her left palm, her right index finger circling around the top of the glass. She was then surprised to see the bartender return so soon. “Pardon me, miss, but the gentleman at the end of the bar would like to pay for your next drink. Just let me know when.” He left as quickly as he came. Beth looked down towards the end of the bar and saw an older man than the bartender. Not quite as handsome, but definitely still a looker. He smiled at her, showing his dimples, and raised his glass. Beth smiled back and raised her own. The man took it upon himself to rise from his seat and saunter over to her.   
“May I?” he said, motioning to the empty seat next to her. “You may,” she said, taking another sip. He settled down next to her and rested his elbow on the counter. “I beg your pardon, but I don’t think we’ve ever met before. Are you only in town for the holidays?” Beth shook her head. “I’m actually not here for the holidays, I’m here for a chess tournament.” The man raised his eyebrows at her. “Is that so? Are you any good?” A flicker of annoyance danced behind her eyes before she replied, “Very good.” He smiled and took a drink of what looked like a bourbon sour, judging by the maraschino cherry. “I’ll take your word for it. Me? I’m terrible at chess, so at least one of us is good at it.”   
This, at least, made Beth laugh. “So what are you good at then?” she asked before taking another drink, draining her glass. “Stockbroking, mostly. Drinking too.” Beth took another look at the man and noticed the gentle graying of the hair at his temples and the faint crow’s feet at the corner of his eyes. He looked younger at the end of the bar, but he was likely in his 40s. Still, easy on the eyes…   
“Can I get you another drink?” he asked. “Please,” she answered with a coy smile. The man raised his hand gently at the bartender and he nodded back, bringing over another mint julep in a few shakes of a lamb’s tail. “What’s your name?” he said, suavely. “Beth Harmon. What’s yours?” He smiled again. “A pleasure to meet you, Beth Harmon. I’m Greyson Foster,” he said while extending his hand to her. She delicately placed her hand in his, which he greeted with a soft kiss. Just before she was about to take another sip of her drink, there was a rough clearing of the throat heard from behind her.   
Benny stood with his hands on his hips and lowered rather unimpressed and annoyed eyes. “I thought I said that I would meet you in the lobby, Harmon.” Beth sheepishly took another swig of her freshly made julep and shrugged. “I’m sorry. I wanted to have a drink while I waited for you,” she said. Benny reached down and grabbed her suitcase, then looked over to Beth’s suitor. “Excuse us,” he said curtly with a smile that looked more like a grimace. Beth quickly downed the rest of her julep and wiped the corner of her mouth with the napkin. “Thank you for sharing a drink with me,” she said to Greyson. He pursed his lips in a strained smile and raised his glass to her. Beth quickly left a dollar bill on the counter, plus a quarter for a tip, and chased after Benny who was stomping towards the lobby in his slip-on boots.   
“If you must know, I’m double-parked outside right now. You couldn’t have the common courtesy of waiting in the lobby like I asked?”   
“I said I was sorry.”   
“If you were really sorry, you wouldn’t have done it in the first place.”  
“Right.”   
He pushed open the glass door and trudged over to his pale blue VW Beetle, tossing the suitcase into his trunk. Beth could tell he was annoyed, but that was no reason to throw her things around so carelessly. He didn’t bother opening the door for her and they got into the car simultaneously. The ride back was mostly silent. Neither Benny nor Beth opted to switch on the radio. When Benny pulled up to his apartment, he exited the car swiftly and retrieved Beth’s suitcase for her, shoving it into her hands when she stepped out herself. “Thanks,” she mumbled and followed him inside after watching him lock his car.   
Benny’s apartment was incredibly shabby and dark, with a definitive lack of care or interest shown in its upkeep. Beth walked slowly down the stairs that Benny tromped over and met him in the middle of the main room after he threw down a blow-up mattress for her. “Home sweet home,” he said and threw his car keys on the couch before retiring to his own bedroom. Beth snorted in his direction and got to work pumping up the air mattress. By the time she had finished, Benny reemerged carrying a blanket and a pillow. “For the lady.” She took them from him and laid them out neatly on top of the mattress. Benny was already back in his room when she sat down on the couch and opened her suitcase. For a while, Beth sat alone in the dim light, reading My Best Games of Chess, by Alexander Alekhine. It was the only book she brought with her. Although the alcohol made her a bit sleepy, she willed herself to stay awake and focus on the book. Alekhine’s methods could prove incredibly useful during this tournament and she didn’t want to miss anything important.   
Eventually, Beth succumbed to the lull of the booze and fell asleep with the book on her lap, sitting upright on the couch. For a moment, she dreamed that Benny came out of his room and took the blanket from the blow-up mattress and placed it gently on top of her. Dream Benny even petted her hair before everything went black. When she woke up early the next morning, she rubbed her eyes and realized that she smudged her eye makeup from last night and it got all over her hands and eyelids. Beth exhaled in a soft groan and stood up, startled to find that Benny had indeed placed the blanket on top of her.   
Benny was already awake and in the kitchenette making coffee. “Morning,” he said forthrightly, turning around with two plain white mugs. He paused, looking Beth up and down. “You got a little something there…” he said, raising one of the mugs and gesturing to his eyes. Beth waved him off with a grimace. “Yeah, I know,” she muttered and slunk to the bathroom after grabbing a small toiletries bag from her suitcase. She re-emerged after cleaning her face off and brushing her teeth and found Benny sitting parallel to her resting place on the couch, a hot cup of coffee waiting for her on the table. Aside the cup was Benny’s personal chess set and clock. “Let’s play a game after we finish our mugs,” he said, looking forward.  
Beth shook her hands free of any excess water and joined him on the couch. Much like the car ride, they sat in silence and finished their coffee without any effort from either party to spark a conversation. It was only when Benny set his empty mug on the side table that he spoke to her. “I would have thought that you would lay off the alcohol to better focus on the tournament,” he said. Obviously, the morning was off to a good start. “Alcohol doesn’t make me lose focus,” she shot back, pointedly. Benny scoffed at her response. “Right,” he said with a smirk. “You can’t really think that, can you?”   
Beth felt her blood pressure building and her ears getting hot. “Actually, I think it helps me. It brings out my creativity.” Beth turned away from him to finish her final sip of coffee. “Really? Let’s make a bet then. One game of speed chess: I win, you owe me five bucks and you have to admit that it clouds your head and that it makes you play worse. You win, you can drink like a fish and I owe you five bucks.” Beth’s competitive nature would never back down from a challenge, especially not from one that seemed so simple. “I hope you’re ready to be out a fiver.” Benny chuckled and held up a penny that he fished from his pocket. “Call it. Winner plays white.” Beth chose tails and immediately lost. Perhaps games of chance weren’t in her favor, but games of strategy surely were.   
They sat opposite of each other on the floor with the coffee table between them. In five minutes, the round of speed chess was over with Benny as the victor. He held out his hand and flexed his fingers back and forth in a “gimmie” motion. Beth sourly slapped a bill into his palm and said, “Let’s play another round.” Benny shook his head. “Did you forget the other part of the deal? Let me hear you say it.” Beth didn’t answer and merely reset the clock, then moved on resetting the pieces on the board. Certainly, Beth was a sore loser, but she wasn’t ready to accept or admit that maybe Benny was right. She might have won this game if she wasn’t a little hungover. “Call it,” she said and flipped a coin of her own. Benny won out and played white again and the result was the same. Beth lost within five minutes.   
Benny sat back with pursed lips and raised eyebrows, his hands raised as if giving a sermon. “Well?” Beth found herself unable to respond and hurriedly stood up. She threw down another five-dollar bill and gathered her outer wear in a huff, stomping out of Benny’s basement apartment. It was almost 10 AM and she hadn’t eaten yet. Beth couldn’t stand to be near Benny and luckily for her, finding a diner wasn’t hard to do in New York City. She reached one within a 10-minute walk, being pushed down the sidewalk by the harsh December winds. Within the sanctity of Ed’s Classic Diner, Beth huffed and smoothed out her coat. The waitress at the front podium found her a seat at a booth and left her with a menu. Beth checked the sad state of her wallet and found that she only had enough left for a bowl of cheese grits and a biscuit, but that would be enough to soothe her growling stomach.   
She finished her meal and left a meager tip (only what she could afford due to having to keep change for payphones and cab fare) and left the diner. Her stress was acting up and she could feel herself craving the sweet relief of the green tranquilizer pills, not that she had any. She was saving them for Paris. It was too windy to go for a long walk and she wanted to continue reading her book. Walking against the wind this time, Beth eventually made it back to Benny’s apartment. To her surprise, the door was locked. She rapped on the solid wood and waited for an answer but received none. Beth turned around and saw that Benny’s car was missing from its parking spot. Great, just great.   
She looked up and down the street, trying to find a phone booth until finding one back near the diner. She checked the phone book inside for the local library and asked for directions from a passerby. The library took thirty minutes to walk to, but its warm interior was all she needed to feel accomplished. Beth searched for an empty armchair upstairs and found the perfect spot, cozy and in the corner. The thought of actually grabbing a book hadn’t occurred to her, but the willingness to read had left her body by this point. All she wanted was the plush, leather chair she was melting into. Despite the coffee she had earlier, Beth quickly fell back asleep until she was nudged awake.   
Benny stood in front of her with no visible emotions except for disappointment. “It’s already past four. Let’s get going, it’s going to be dark soon and I want to practice with you a bit more.” Beth rose from her chair and stretched her arms up as far as they would go, crinkling her nose and groaning. “Where did you go earlier? You locked me out. And hey...how did you find me?” The pair walked down the library steps together. “I went to buy some groceries. I didn’t think I would be gone for very long but you must have gotten back before I did,” he paused to open the front door for her, “and it’s not hard to find someone who’s short on their cash but needs a place to get out of the cold.” Benny led Beth to a parking garage where they both got into his car yet again. “I’m glad you took your car to come and find me. I wouldn’t want to walk back in this wind again.” Benny nodded in response and switched on the radio. He must have been in a better mood than last night, although Beth could still tell he was rather annoyed with her.   
The rest of the night was quiet, filled only with the sounds of chess pieces moving across the board and their hands tapping the clock. It was already past 11 PM when they both agreed to stop for dinner. The groceries Benny had picked up earlier were just a box of dried pasta and a can of tomato sauce, but it was enough for them. They played one more round before the clock on Benny’s wall displayed that it was past midnight. Benny sat on the couch while Beth reinflated the air mattress that she didn’t use the night before. She sat down next to him with a sigh and the two of them avoided eye contact. It was Benny, again, who broke the silence. “I really care about you, Harmon.”   
This statement stunned her. It wasn’t anything she expected, but it was certainly welcomed. “What do you mean?” she said, her heartbeat quickening. “I mean I care about you. A lot. I hate seeing you do that to yourself.” Of course, he was back on the topic of alcohol. Her mood took a dive for only a moment. It was lifted again when Benny took her hand in his. “Can you blame me for being worried?” Beth didn’t answer, but she squeezed his hand gently. “And I mean...talking to guys at the bar who are only trying to get you to go home with them, I…” he trailed off, clearing his throat. Beth peeked over at him to see that the tips of his ears were a little red, just like his cheeks. “I mean, you don’t have to do all that.”   
Beth scooted closer to him. “So you really care about me a lot, then.” Her eyes were wide and inquisitive, just like when they played their matches together. “Jesus, Harmon,” he laughed nervously, refusing to look at her. “Don’t make me feel like a dipshit for telling you how I feel.” Beth placed her other hand on top of his. “I’m not trying to. I just want to understand,” she said. Benny swallowed and shifted in his seat to better face her. Beth could feel her pulse in her ears. “I think you’re cool and all, but I don’t like hanging out with people that destroy themselves. No offense.” Offense taken, of course. “I’m not doing it right now, am I? I’m sober as a judge.”   
“No, you’re not. But that doesn’t mean you won’t later.” Beth sat back against the couch, still holding his hand but looking up at the ceiling. “I guess that means you’ll have to keep an eye on me all night.” Benny scratched the back of his head and chuckled. “Yeah, I guess I will.” Beth scooted closer once again. “Benny?”   
“Yeah?”  
“Can you show me how you care?”   
The two of them shared a glance before Benny gingerly placed his lips on hers. Beth’s eyes fluttered shut as the two of them held their kiss for a few moments before Benny pulled away. “That’s all you’re getting from me. I’m not going to have sex with you.” Beth shrugged. She was disappointed at his answer to her nonverbal question, but she didn’t let it phase her. “Does that mean I still have to sleep on the air mattress?” she asked. Benny chuckled and rubbed his chin. “Only if you want to, I suppose.”  
“That’s a stupid idea. Who wants to sleep on an air mattress?” Benny nodded. “Yeah, I guess it was. You, uh...you can sleep on the other side of the mattress, I won’t bother you,” he said. They both rose from the couch and prepared for bed in their respective ways. Beth was the last to leave the bathroom and shortly found Benny already under the covers on his mattress. His bedroom was dingy, just like the rest of his apartment. He was facing away from her, towards the wall, but patted the bed when he heard her enter the room.   
Beth crawled under the covers alongside him and faced the other direction, into the open room. Benny switched off the lamp nearby and they were both silent, trying their best to go to sleep and be ready for the tournament tomorrow. However, Beth soon found out that she couldn’t fall asleep. Not that she would know it from staring into the darkroom, but Benny was just the same. She didn’t pay any mind to him when he shifted around but was shocked to feel him wrap his arm around her waist. “Just because I said we’re not having sex doesn’t mean we can’t still do this,” he mumbled. His cheeks were likely red, very similar to Beth’s own. Beth placed her hand over his. “I like that,” she whispered. “I like this too, I mean. I’m not only about sex and alcohol all the time…”   
Benny brought himself closer to her and adjusted his arm. “I like it too. But this activity might distract us during the tournament,” he joked. Beth smiled. “Don’t worry,” she said, rubbing his hand reassuringly, “we can go back to being friendly rivals in the morning.”


End file.
